We cooked a lot this weekend. Between all my recipe testing, mom’s nourishing soups and C’s barbecue experiment, we had enough food to feed an army.

“Do you want to come over for dinner Sunday night? Something very casual”, I asked my friend K. It had been a few days since we had spoken and I really wanted to catch up. We can talk for hours. “I wouldn’t miss it for a thing”, she said.

We didn’t have much time to make a dessert for Sunday’s dinner so I started browsing through my recipe archives for a quick cake that I could serve with some cream and fruit. This chocolate and teff cake caught my mom’s eye. “That one!”, she said. A one bowl cake that is quick and super moist.

In our menu that night, we also had our version of niçoise salad with bonito from the Basque Country, potatoes, eggs, avocados and tomatoes, followed by chicken and chorizo paella.

And lots and lots of conversation. What I always look forward to.

Monday was a holiday and J. was home from school. He loves my mom’s porrusalda or butternut squash and leek soup so he asked her to make it. Mine with a poached egg on top.

He also wanted his usual arroz con leche and I craved something light. Meyer lemon, almond and goat’s milk custard, a variation of this recipe.

I couldn’t agree more, there is something so comforting about the old favourites! Unfortunately I haven’t been able to source teff flour here in Australia, otherwise I would love to give this cake recipe a go, it sounds delicious!

Ah, I’m laughing at myself. I did I double-take when I read the words “chocolate & teff” in the same recipe, thinking perhaps I had misread. I’m very impressed by your creativity. From my Ethiopian-American perch, it’s so interesting to see the way others are adapting Ethiopian cuisine & ingredients. Maybe I’ll try that recipe for a chocolate-loving family member! lol

I’m just curious how the teff affected the flavor as in my experience it can be a bit sour.

I loved this post – especially as now I have your meyer lemon, lime and quinoa pudding recipe. the goats milk and almond custard sounds divine also. How lovely to have your mum there with you, cooking. Your Sunday night, last minute dinner party sounds fabulous.Heidi xo

Wow..I love arroz con leche, and beside the recipe, do you know the spanish nursery rhyme ‘Arroz con leche me quiero casar…con esta senorita …en este lujar (not sure about the spelling…) My abuela was from Argentina and my mum used to sing me that song! Now I am a mother too, my daughter loves the rhyme but not the dessert!P.S. What is teff flour? :-)Have a nice week,Roberta

Can I just say that your photography is amazing? :) I’ve been looking at your blog for ages and I just love everything you do. I know that if I want to see something beautiful and delicious, this is the place to come. Can’t wait for you cookbook. :)Jaime

I’m so inspired by your photography. You have really created a world, a mood. I just want to step into it, and not just for all of the delicious food and treats you make. It’s a happy place, a feminine and lovely place with nourishing home cooked food. Kudos to you. I’ll be back for more.

Hello! I like your blog a lot, I have read almost all of it by this time, I also came to USa since I was young mostly to babysit my cousin during summer and learn english, I also read you can’t eat gluten and in my family we have this recipe for years, they are cheese muffins made from tapioca flour(but it has dairy),I thought it might be interesting for you.. I post the link down here